TAIPEI -- For many PCB suppliers, Apple is the gift that keeps in giving.

TORONTO,-- Firan Technology Group reported third-quarter sales at its printed circuit board operations rose 21% from a year ago on strong demand from existing customers, particularly in commercial aircraft programs.

Shortsighted approaches lead to overspending.

Most air freight – including for printed circuit boards – is hauled in the cargo holds of passenger aircraft. While the number of available flights is slowly increasing as Covid restrictions lessen, the price is still high, and getting PCBs delivered on time and at a reasonable cost remains a significant challenge for buyers.

That’s why they should negotiate with suppliers for a “delivered” price.

PCB buyers often overlook fluctuating freight costs when considering total cost of ownership (TCO) of the offshore products they purchase.

BADEN WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY -- Würth Elektronik and FELA report ongoing joint research of PCB technology digitization has moved from prototype to serial production.

FRANKFURT -- Sales at German printed circuit board manufacturers grew 3.1% year-over-year in May, reports ZVEI PCB and Electronic Systems. 

FRANKFURT -- Sales at German printed circuit board manufacturers grew 4.1% year-over-year in June, reports ZVEI PCB and Electronic Systems.  

FRANKFURT -- Germany region PCB manufacturers saw sales rise 6.2% year-over-year in February, continuing a steady expansion run.

FRANKFURT, GERMANY -- Sales at Germany region PCB manufacturers fell 6.3% year-over-year in May. 

FRANKFURT -- Germany region PCB manufacturers saw sales growth continue in January, rising 11.5% year-over-year.

FRANKFURT, GERMANY -- German region PCB manufacturers reported sales rose 4.3% year-over-year in June.

LEWES, DE – The global printed circuit board connectors market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 3% during the period from 2017 to 2021, says Market Research Reports.

HANGZHOU, CHINA -- Goldenmax International Technology has completed its acquisition of Hangzhou Union Printed Circuit Board Co.

JINZHAI COUNTY, ANHUI PROVINCE, CHINA - Goldenmax International Technology plans to invest 500 million yuan ($81.4 million) to build a printed circuit board factory at the Modern Industrial Park in Jinzhai County.

PCB Plating Racks support a variety of chemical processes. Handle single and unique parts up to serial parts in very large lot sizes. Protefan coating insulation; Halar E-CTFE or ETFE coating optional.

GS Gestelltechnik, gs-gestelltechnik.de

MAPLE GROVE, MN – A subsidiary of HSIO Technologies has acquired the former HEI Circuit Fabrication operations in Tempe, AZ.

YOKOHAMA, JAPAN – Zuken will open a technology competence center for transportation in Erlangen, Germany, extending its efforts to develop electronic architecture and wiring harnesssoftware for the transportation end-market.

SINGAPORE -- Navis Capital Partners has acquired a majority stake in flex circuit maker MFS (S) Technology FPC, and will install a new management team, the company announced. 

BANNOCKBURN, IL – IPC has released a new annual subscription service for its members looking to generate test coupons based on the IPC-2221 printed board standard.

BANNOCKBURN, IL – IPC has released IPC-T-50 Revision M, Terms and Definitions for Interconnecting and Packaging Electronic Circuits.

It’s adding unnecessary costs to your supply chain.

Want a more robust and cost-effective supply chain? Shrink it. Remove the expensive middleman. You don’t need to pay a PCB broker a 20 to 40% markup to, basically, relay information from you to overseas vendors.

The truth is the PCB broker business model – where companies buy printed circuit boards from an overseas manufacturer and then resell them to a customer – is outdated. And it’s adding unnecessary costs to your supply chain.

Years ago, brokers were small operations, with perhaps three to five people. And at one time, they did provide a valuable service to their customers, offering lower prices on boards made overseas, while handling all the details of procurement from foreign vendors in what was often a challenging PCB buying cycle.